Volume 15, No. 2 FallIWinter 201 0 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE DISTRICT DIRECTORS & THE AREASTHATTHEY SERVE August 2010 Another major step on the route to DISTRICT 1 producing a highly blight resistant American Mr. Chestnut tree has taken dace. On June 15. EGNardone@seatuck.org Phone: (63 I ) 581-6908 E-mail: 2010, the first 50 transg'enic plantlets have Nassau and Suffolk Counties been put in federally permitted Lasdon test DISTRICT 2 orchard in TACF-NY District 3, Westchester Mr. Dale L. Travis Phone: (212) 243-8373 E-mail: Dale@,DaleTravis.Com County. NY, Overseen by Frank Munzer. New York City District *See News Release Director and Craig Hibben, Lasdon Manager. DISTRICT 3 Two days later, June 177 20107 the second Mr. Frank Munzer Home: (845) 266-5138 E-mail: fwmunz@optonline.net federally permitted test planting was Sullivan, Ulster, Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, Putnain and Rockland accomplished at the William W. White Plantation in Zoar Valley, Western New York, Counties District 9, where 80 plantlets were planted. DISTRICT 4 ~~~h plantations will be monitored by D~. Mr. & Mrs. Allen Nichols Phone: (607) 263-5105 Charles Maynard, Dr. William Powell, and E-mail: faiknichols.750,frontiemet.net Andy Newhouse, all of ESF Syracuse. Next Otsego, Rensselear, Schenectady, Schoharie, Albany, Columbia, Delaware, spring there will be a third permitted Greene and Montgomery Counties plantation in the Watertown, NY area at DISTRICT 5 Belleville, NY. This site was chosen for cold M~, Adrien Gaudreau Phone: (518) 882-9424 testing of A'nerican Chestnut. It Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren, Washington, Clinton, Essex, Franklin and be under the leadership of Tom Walker, Fulton Counties District 6 Director of TACF-NY. The plantation will be at the DISTRICT 6 Belleville/Henderson Central School where up Mr. T. Urliiig Walker Phone: (315) 782-3153 to six acres are for a plantation to be Oneida, St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Herkimer, and Lewis Counties furnished by the coordinator of agriculture of DISTRICT 7 Jefferson County. The Belleville agricultural Mr. Chris Lyons Phone: (607) 656-9996 E-mail: c.c.lvons@att.net students will do the hands on caring for the Onondaga, Oswego, Tioga, Tompkins, Brooine, Cayuga, Chenango, plantlets. What a good setup for everybody Coltland, and Madison Counties concerned for our third test orchard. DISTRICT 8 At the fa'1 lueetillg in Mr. Chip Leavy Phone: (585) 453-5179 Office: (585) 453-5179 Syracuse, NY, this year we will all anxiously E-mail: Jleavy~Rochester.rr.com await the test reports from ESF Syracuse on Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Yates, Chemung, Genesee, Livingston, the previously planted plantlets at ESF Syracuse orchards. This report will indicate Monroe, Ontario, and Orleans Counties blight resistance achieved by our program up DISTRICT 9 to date. Please, all members make an effort to Mr. Willialn Snyder Phone: (716) 839-5456 attend this year's annual meeting at ESF Erie, Niagara, Wyoming, Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua Counties Syracuse on October 30, 2010, to share these test results. TACFNY 2009 OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS OFFICERS 2009 Long Live the American Chestnut, H. F. Darling, Jr., President Frank Munzer, Vice President Herbert F. Darling Richard Radel, Treasurer and Secretary President, TACF-NY
NOMINATING COMMITTEE DIRECTORS, CLASS OF 2010 Herbert F. Darling, Jr.,Jack Mansfield, Douglas Campbell; Herbert Darling, Jr Chairman, Frank Munser, Stanley John Gordon; Jack Mansfield Wirsig, Arlene Wirsig Richard Radel; John Spagnoli Arlene Wirsig; Stanley Wirsig NOMINATIONS Any member may submit suggestions DIRECTORS, CLASS OF 2011 for nominations to the Board of Jim Donawick; Adrien Gaudreau; Directors to be voted on at the next Craig Hibben; Ted Kozowslti; Annual Meeting. If you know of Leonard Lampel; Robert Nowack; someone who might be interested in Dr. John Potente our mission, send hisker name by October 10 to the Nominating QIRECTORS,CLASSQF2012 Committee Chairman, Jack Mansfield, Frank Munzer; Margaret Collins 349 Roycroft Blvd. Buffalo NY 14226 Allen Nichols; Chris Lyons o r by e-mail t o Chip Leavy; William Snyder sonjack@roadmnner.com Plzotos of previous harvests Wayne Cooper; Thomas Deacon John Neuman; Bethany Ruane Dr. Richard Zander Keynote Speaker for Annual Meeting, October 30,2010 Key Autumn Chores in Your Lawn, Landscape & Garden Terry L. Ettinger, Greenhouse Manager Department of Environmental and Forest Biology SUNY-College of Environmental Science & Forestry Syracuse, New York District 2 News Release, Daie Travis, New Director for District 2, District 3 News Release, Go to The Joztrval New, White Plnirzs, NY Greg Claly, July 12, 2010 District 9 News Release, Go to The Bzgfalo News, Search American Chestnut 2010 District 9 Zoar Valley Nut Picking William W. White Plantation October 9,2010, 10 a.m. Come help us harvest the nuts and view the plantation and the new plantlets
Where: When: DoubleTree Hotel Syracuse & SUNY ESF October 29, & 30, 2010 630 1 State Route 298 Friday 6 pm - Saturday 10 pin East Syracuse, NY 13057 Tel: 1-315-432-0200 (Hotel) or 1-800-222-TREE (National Reservation Office) Visit the Hotel's web site www.syracuse.doubletree.com to make your online reservations, and reference Group/convention Code YCC. Reservations must be made prior to October fith, 2010 to be at the rate of $129 per (single or double) room per night. Ask for "American Chestnut Room Block" code YCC. Meetings and facilities touring will be at SUNY School of Environmental Science and Forestry. Check out the website http:// www.esf.edu/outreach/chestnut for more detailed information. Name(s) Registration Form Address Phone E-mail City State Zip Brief Meeting Agenda, Friday reception and Harvest Exchange at Double Tree Hotel Syracuse, Adams Basin room 7 pm to 10:30 pm. Saturday Continental Breakfast at SUNY-ESF, with meetings and tours of facilities, lunch to be a picnic at the Experiment Station, all included in the registration fee. Saturday night dinner at Double Tree Hotel Syracuse Champlain Room with speaker and entertainment: Fees prior to October 8,2010 Rcgistration Fee @ $70 each # each @ $70 per person Totals $ Dinner Reservation #- each @ $35 per person Totals $ Please circle #- (Prime Rib) #- (roasted salmon) #- (chicken princess) Total Registration $ Student Student Registration Fee @ $25 each # each @ $25 per person Totals $ Dinner Reservation #- each @ $25 per person Totals $ Please circle #- (Prime Rib) #- (roasted salmon) #- (chicken princess) Total Registration $ Late Registration (after (October 8,2010) Registration Fee @ $85 each # each @ $85 per person Totals $ Student Registration Fee (@, $45 each # each @ $45 per person Totals $ I expect to bring nuts for the Harvest Exchange. I would like to have nuts to plant. Please arrange exhibit space for me. I would be glad to help at the Annual Meeting I would be interested in the following Member Sharing Topics d Make checks payable to: Mail before October lst, to TACFNY Richard R. Radel Secretary/Treasurer 23 Carriage Circle Williamsville, NY 14221
New York State Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation, Inc. William H. White Orchard, Zoar Valley, NY Ron Karaszewski ties up transgenic trees Herb Darling waters transgenic trees Yes this tree will be blight resistant
Fall 2010 article for the Bur, The newsletter for New York State Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation Come to Syracuse! For the fall meeting of the New York State Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation By: Charles Maynard & William Powell Co-directors of the American Chestnut Research and Restoration projects Those of you with sharp eyes will note that we changed our name from "Chestnut Project" to "Chestnut Projects". This was done to reflect the dramatically expanded chestnut research activities we have going on in Syracuse. On behalf of the dozen or so people in Syracuse who are working hard on the Chestnut Projects, we would love to see you at the 22nd annual meeting. We're looking forward to showing all of you what we've accomplished after many years of research, and how the project is expanding across New York State. We've assembled a wonderful team including graduate students, undergraduate students, technicians, visiting scientists, and now we have on board no fewer than five ESF professors. This is probably the most diverse, dedicated, and talented group of people we've ever assembled on the Chestnut project(s). You will get to meet many of them and hear about their research. Highlights In the spring of 2009, with the help of TACF members, we planted over 200 transgenic American chestnut trees in central New York, which you will tour during the annual meeting. This year we planted 80 transgenic chestnut trees, along with many control trees for comparison, on two new locations on opposite ends of New York State These are located in the Lasdon Arboretum near New York City, and in the Zoar Valley Multiple-Use Area near Buffalo. This was the first year we planted transgenic trees on Chestnut Foundation-controlled properties. This was a big step for the program, for the regulatory process, and most of all for the managers of each of the two new planting sites. We're looking forward to hearing presentations from the key players of each of these new test sites.
We were also plenty busy in the laboratory! Because the pipeline from the laboratory to the field is approximately a year and a half long, and it's another two or three years before the trees in the field plots are big enough to inoculate and test for blight resistance, we think it's vitally important to continue the process of adding new genes to the chestnut. We, with the help of the Forest Health Initiative and collaborators at other universities, have been busily searching for more genes to test. Some of these genes even come from the Chinese chestnut. We currently have about 50 transgenic chestnut "events" at various stages in the pipeline. This pipeline includes newly transformed somatic embryos, regenerated shoots, rooted plants in the growth chamber, and rooted plants in the greenhouse. All of this material is on its way towards the end of the pipeline! And we will soon need to put it in the ground. I (Chuck) took on the task of preparing the field sites for the next two or three years. This preparation included the addition of almost a quarter-mile of new fence, and repairs on another quarter-mile of old fence so that we have the room to test all these trees. What you'll see on the SUNY-ESF campus if you come to Syracuse for the fall meeting: " The original GFP microscope showing transgenic American chestnut tissue fluorescing green. This is the instrument that has allowed us to select all of the transformation events now in the field. This instrument was purchased largely with Chestnut Foundation funds and has been instrumental to the success of the project starting about eight years ago. " The Acclimatization Laboratory. This facility was also funded in part by the Chestnut Foundation and was absolutely key to learning how to get the chestnut plants ready for field trials. The renovated greenhouse. When we were granted access to this old greenhouse sometime in the 1980s it was a shell. Many of the windows were broken. There was an empty 2-foot high cement, "wading pool" in the middle of the floor! The benches contained large amounts of asbestos material. The roof vents were terribly unreliable and made a horrendous racket when opened or closed. And finally, the lighting was totally inadequate. The renovated greenhouse has a new cement floor, four selfwatering benches, no asbestos, brand-new, whisper-quiet roof vents, and enough lighting to ensure good growth throughout the year. This facility is critically important for growing seedlings that are bigger and acclimatized before they go into the field. Two 4-year-old transgenic elm trees 15 to 20 feet tall. What you'll see on the field tour of the Lafayette Road Experiment Station. " Our environmental impact study. This is our largest field trial to date and was put in four locations in 2009. Because this was our largest planting, we were very careful to get it done correctly! We also wanted to involve many different people in the initial planting so we invited all of the people in our college as well as local members of the American Chestnut Foundation. Two of these locations are on open field sites where the main competitors are grasses and other short vegetation. The other two plots are our first attempt to establish chestnut trees "out in the woods". They are planted in what foresters call "shelterwood plots." These thinnings in the forest allow a great deal of sunlight to penetrate the forest floor, but also supply some shade, and in most cases would be considerably more aesthetically appealing than a full clear-cut. After two growing seasons, many of these trees are growing vigorously and will undoubtedly survive for many years. " The American Chestnut Blight Resistance Testing Area (a.k.a. "the big fenced area"). Once again financed by the American Chestnut Foundation, this area, approximately 5 acre's in size, is devoted to chestnut field tests. o The inoculation trial plot. This is the big test that everyone is waiting for. All of the different transgenic chestnut trees we have produced to-date are planted here. We plan to inoculate half of this trial next summer. If all goes well, we should have our first reliable blight-resistance reading next fall. o The "Darling" chestnut tree. This was the second transgenic variety we assigned a name. It was planted in 2009. It has grown very well. o A greenhouse-to-field time study along with a tree shelter study. We wanted to test the effects of several different planting-time treatments on early survival and growth rate. We also wanted to test if protecting the trees from deer was a viable option. The results are most interesting! o A field test showing several different grafting techniques. The Northern Nut-Growers Association i I i sponsored this research. o A fertilizer treatment study done in the greenhouse that has now been in the field for three years. It pays great dividends to fertilize chestnut trees in the greenhouse so that they are very vigorous when planted in the field. o A field trial of transgenic elm trees being tested for elm yellows resistance. Another fenced area (a.k.a. the "lower fenced area") Because we share this plot with a number of other projects, there are several interesting things to see: o An ESF colleague's Sweetgrass experiment
o Another colleague's large willow breeding tests o THE 'Wirsig' tree. The first transgenic American chestnut tree to be planted anywhere in the world o The first tissue culture derived trees producing chestnuts! o Our largest transgenic American elm planting, which is being tested for Dutch elm disease and elm yellows resistance o A seedling vs. plantlet field test of American chestnut. This study is now approximately 6 years old and shows what vigorous growth can be achieved in American chestnut. A visit to the Old Barn. One of the oldest buildings on either the main or the extended campus is the Old Barn on the Lafayette Road Experiment Station. The college purchased the property in 1912, and the barn was standing at that time. We are in the process of renovating the lowest floor of this barn for the Chestnut project. The formal meeting is going to be run on a slightly different schedule than in other years. The major difference will be in the number of scientific speakers at the meeting. Because we expect to have around 15 different presentations, we decided to have two science sessions. We realized no one could possibly sit through that many presentations in one big bunch, we decided to shorten each individual presentation and divide them into two shorter scientific presentation sessions, one before lunch and one after lunch. At the dinner, we have a special ESF speaker, Terry Ettinger. Terry is our campus greenhouse manager, but you might know him from his radio show, "The Weeders Digest", the TV show "Garden Journeys", or the newspaper column "Let's Get Growing." Terry will give a short presentation and then answer your yard and gardening questions. So come prepared to ask your toughest gardening questions. We are looking forward to seeing all the familiar faces as well as the new. We especially want to invite members that haven't been to the Annual meeting in a few years. You will be amazed at the changes. See you in October!
:..e BUR : : New York State Chapter of the ': - lerican Chestnut Foundation Inc..-: ~2hard R. Radel l.3 Carriage Circle Williamsville, NY 14221 Memb I Appli cation Enclosed is my membership support of Gold leaf, $1000 Silver leaf, $500 Bronze leaf, $250 Green leaf, $100 Regular, $40 17 Student, $15 Other $ Special Gift to NY State Chapter $ Total Amount $ Enclosed is an additional contribution in the amount of $ in support of the New York State Chapters' activities. Name: Address: Telephone: E-mail: This is a gift membership from: Address: Me~nbership includes subscriptions tothe Bark and Journal of the Anlerican Chestnut Foundation and enrollment in the New York State Chapter. The Chapter publishes the BUR, helps guide rese;trch at CESF. and includes nine Districts for local involven~ent in niaintaining the American chestnut Ben? pool. Plcose mate check payable to The American Chestnut Foundatio~~. PO Box 4014, Bennington. VT05201-4043. TACFis a jol(c) (3) t~on-profit or:anization. Except for the member sewices portion of your contribution (valued at SIR your gift is tas deductible to the full extent allowed by In\\.. The American Chestnut Foundation, 469 Main Street, PO Box 4044, ~ennin~ton,~ermont 05201-4044